Dotsuku Wins the Juuni Taisen
by Zowieyaoi
Summary: What if Dotsuku realized what Niwatori was planning from the start? What if Dotsuku met Ushii long before the Juuni Taisen? What could you change if one simple fact in your life were different? When one thing changes the dominos fall on a different path. Originally posted on my Tumblr account, but I'm posting it here so more ppl could read it.
1. Fowls May be Fools

**Dotsuku Wins the Juuni Taisen. Ch 1: Fowls May be Fools**

Something was off about the chicken girl, Dotsuku just knew it. No one THIS green should even BE in the Juuni Taisen, it doesn't matter who's pulling the strings. Still… Having someone with eyes in the sky as a temporary ally sounds like a good thing to have, for now. Especially with that necromancing Rabbit around. 'I'll just keep my guard up while I'm with her,' Dotsuku thought as he vocally agreed to this 'Temporary' team-up with the Chicken.

As they walked out of the underground parking lot, Dotsuku caught a whiff of Niwatori's sent and that was when the Warrior of the Dog knew what was off. 'She's not sweating! That's impossible for a newbie to the battlefield, especially after what happened earlier,' Dotsuku thought, remembering the explosion at the start of the Juuni Taisen, his eyes narrowing at the Chicken. 'What's her plan?' The Warrior of the Dog thought as he vocally asked her if she had any information on the other fighters. He leaned against the wall of the parking structure exit.

"Ano, just some unconfirmed rumors, but other than that, nothing really," Niwatori said with a sigh. Dotsuku's eyes narrowed at the girl. Someone with her abilities should know a thing or two about all of the other fighters… The others… Maybe even… 'She couldn't possibly know about... Hmm, let's see how this whole thing plays out,' Dotsuku thought to himself as he vocally told Niwatori in a sarcastic tone "Gee, you're helpful." "What about you, Dotsuku-san?" the green haired girl asked the dog warrior. He then replied, more on the line to try to get more information out of the chicken than anything else, "More than you, apparently. Monkey's a pacifist, nothing else to say about her. The Dragon-Snake duo is at half strength now that Snake's dead. Boar's the daughter of their previous Juuni Taisen Winner, and quite frankly I think we got off lucky that she was off so quickly." Niwatori hugged her pitchfork closer to her body and asked nervously "Ano, you have any information about Ushii, the Warrior of the Ox?"

Dotsuku's eyes narrowed at the green haired girl when he stated "Those rumors you heard about him, what did they say?" Niwatori looked up at the starry sky, thinking about those rumors, before finally saying "Ano, a lot of them say that he's merciless on the battlefield... Is that really true?" "Pretty much," Dotsuku stated before adding "To put it simply, no one who's gone up against Ushii has ever lived." "N-n-no one! Not a single person!?" Niwatori said with a gulp. Dotsuku nodded at that. But the Warrior of the Dog knew for a fact that that rumor wasn't true.

Flashback

Dotsuku was clutching an open wound on his left shoulder, growling and panting. Panting because he had been running for a while, and growling because of the opponent that stood before him. Ushii, Warrior of the Ox, standing a good distance away from the dog warrior.

Ushii had his faithful saber in hand, ready to strike.

Dotsuku was low on options at the moment. He couldn't do his usual ambush attacks because he was out in the open. He couldn't use any of his venom or poison because his opponent is too fast for him to catch and bite, not to mention that one of Dotsuku's ankles was twisted. And lastly… He has hidden his child, who currently had one nasty fever, nearby and he couldn't risk being too far away. Dotsuku clenched his teeth. This situation has to be the worst possible outcome.

That was when Ushii launched his attack.

"S...S...Stop..." A sickly voice suddenly called out in desperateration, causing Ushii to halt his attack. Dotsuku panicked, as he jumped between Ushii and where he has hidden his child, ignoring the pain in his ankle when he did so. "Dad... That... man... he... he... saved me... from those... badies," the child said in a hazy tone, because of the fever. Dotsuku gave a quick glance at his child then the warrior before him and asked "You... Took down the Dark Clan and saved my kid?" Ushii raised a brow and asked Dotsuku "Then you really are this child's father?" The Dog Warrior nodded, not sure why he was telling the Ox this information.

To Dotsuku's surprise, Ushii sheathed his sword.

"Then, we have no reason to quarrel," Ushii stated, before taking note of Dotsuku's injuries. "You're injured and the child is sick," Ushii stated before adding "I have a safe house nearby with medical supplies. You may stay there until your child is well enough to travel." While Dotsuku was a little skeptical, his child was sick and needs a safe place to heal. So Dotsuku accepted Ushii's offer, but he was carrying his child to the safe house. While Ushii wanted to advise against it, he knew that pointless to argue with the father when the well-being of his child is at stake.

End Flashback

However, that was years ago, and Dotsuku didn't know what Ushii was like now.

Dotsuku saw a little bird landed on Niwatori's shoulder and cooed in her ear. "EH?!" The chicken girl shouted out. The Warrior of the Dog slapped a hand over her mouth and growled out "Do you Want to give away our position?" Niwatori let out a muffled, trying to tell him something. Baring his teeth, Dotsuku stated "I'll let you speak, on the condition that you keep your voice down. Got it?" Niwatori nodded vigorously. With that Dotsuku removed his hand. "The Rabbit! He set Boar off on her own! And the birds lost sight of him and Snake!" The green haired girl said frantically, trying to keep her voice low. Dotsuku raised a brow.

* * *

A little while later, and from a safe distance, both Dotsuku and Niwatori saw the zombie Boar sluggishly walking down an open street, in easy view from practically every angle.

Niwatori apologized for losing track of Rabbit and Snake and then stated that the Necromancer probably noticed the birds following him. Dotsuku KNEW that was a load of baloney. After all, who would notice that a bird or two following them? Especially a quiet, dark-colored bird at this hour of the night? But still… Dotsuku did have to admit the Rabbit seemed smarter than he let on. Sending his heavy hitting zombie out in the open like this, was a good way to get the other warriors out into view... Pretty good strategy. Boar had an ability called Non-Reload (Or Make it Rain in the Novel/Manga), meaning that she can fire those semiautomatics as long as she wants and not have to worry about reloading the ammunition. Anyone who knew this particular fact would want to eliminate her as soon as possible. This got Dotsuku thinking.

"Oi, Chicken," Dotsuku said, getting Niwatori's attention, before adding "Can you make one of your birds drop a rock near the building over there? without letting zombie seeing it?" As he pointed to the building parallel from where they were hiding. Niwatori nodded and did what the Warrior of the Dog asked. The moment the rock hit the ground in front of the parallel building, Boar started shooting in that direction. After exactly two minutes of gunfire, the zombie finally stopped. Once Boar saw that no one was there, she continued on her sluggish walk.

Dotsuku gave a soft growl when he said "Shit! She still has her ability... So those who are turned into a zombie by that Rabbit are able to keep the abilities that they had in life." Niwatori shivered when she said "That's scary..." "Cht, more like a pain in the ass," Dotsuku stated, not really liking the situation. After all, every kill a Necromancer makes, either by their own hands or their zombie's, makes them stronger. Niwatori interrupted Dotsuku's thought by saying "If only there was a way to take out that zombie before she can shoot us. I mean, if she's gone than the Rabbit loses his heavy hitter."

Dotsuku raised a brow at that. 'Is she suggesting what I think she's suggesting?' the Dog Warrior thought to himself. "Can you be a little more specific?" Dotsuku asked the chicken girl, making sure that his tone was neutral so she noticed his suspicion. Niwatori blinked cluelessly before saying "I guess, what I'm trying to say is… Maybe if there was a way for us to become fast enough to take her down before she could even notice us being there…"

'So, That's what her plan was!' Dotsuku thought, before smirking. "You know, now that you mention it, I think I do have something like that," He said, putting on a thoughtful looking face on. "You do?" Niwatori asked in amazement. Dotsuku nodded and said "Yeah, give me your arm for a second." Niwatori held out her left arm without a second thought. Dotsuku took her wrist and bit her forearm. Niwatori was surprised at first but then noticed that she wasn't in any pain. Dotsuku pulled away and explained "I added some anesthetics to dull the pain, but you should be feeling the One-Man Army soon." "One-Man Army?" Niwatori asked cluelessly before feeling a surge of pressures coursed through her bloodstream. Dotsuku smirked at this.

"So, how you feeling now?" Dotsuku asked, smirk still on his face. Niwatori held her hands in front of her face, opening and closing her fingers, and said "I feel a little weird, a good weird but… I guess the best way to describe this is like having all of your stats maxed out in a video game." "Does it now? I don't play video games so I wouldn't know," Dotsuku said, keeping his tone casual, before adding "Careful, if you use it right away, it'll wear off faster. Try small motions first." Niwatori nodded happily at that.

Niwatori walked over to Dotsuku, putting the next part of her plan into motion when she started coughing up blood. Dotsuku sidestepped the blood as she pressed her hands on the nearby wall, to steady herself. Not surprised by this, Dotsuku asked in an amused tone "You're not looking well. Are you having a bad reaction to my One-Man Army?" Niwatori's eyes widened at that, then she coughed out "Y-you! You knew!" Dotsuku shrugged and said "You're a good actress, I'll admit that, however, you can't sweat on cue." Niwatori growled, realizing that the Dog Warrior never bought her act.

A few seconds later, Niwatori dropped to the ground blood really rushing out of her nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. It didn't take more than 30 seconds for her to bleed out. After a minute of blood fleeing the chicken, Dotsuku pulled his dagger out of his belt and carved the Juseki Gem out of her gut. After cleaning off the blood off of the gem, he shoved it in a pouch he had hidden in his cloak. "One down," Dotsuku stated, before pulling out his wallet to look at a certain picture in it, then placed it back in his pocket to double check Boar's location. Dotsuku did see her, but she was a good distance away.

Dotsuku took a deep breath before muttering to himself "Cht, that necromancer's going to make everything harder."

* * *

To Be Continued


	2. Strategize

**Dotsuku Wins the Juuni Taisen. Chapter 2, Strategize.**

Dotsuku wasn't at all bothered about killing another person. After all, he's a mercenary and worked in human trafficking. Well, he's just a mercenary now. Dotsuku left the human trafficking business behind the moment he became a father. Mind you it wasn't something that was planned, heck the whole "taking the child in" thing was the definition of spur-of-the-moment. Dotsuku couldn't leave the child behind, especially considering the situation he found the kid was in... But the Warrior of the Dog had no regrets for doing it. The kid needed a safe home and Dotsuku was willing to become a father.

Dotsuku kept to the shadows as he made his way through the city, he was needed to find a new spot to lie and wait, not to mention think of a plan to combat that Necromancing Rabbit. The Warrior of the Dog sniffed the air. Odd... He could smell the faint smell of another warrior, telling him that the person was rather a good distance away, but he couldn't hear anyone, and his ears are considered sensitive...

Dotsuku quickly and quietly ducked into the tree-filled section of the nearby park. It was as good as anyplace at the moment. Lots of cover, open in all directions, and he was already a master of ambush in forest terrain. It was a perfect place for Dotsuku to hide, for now.

Dotsuku sat under a tree that was surrounded by green bushes. He needed to think up some new strategies. While he could still just use the Lie-and-Wait-Until-the-Final-Three tactic, it be best if he have some plans handy, just in case things go awry, like how Chicken found him. 'Problem is... I only know the abilities of Monkey, Rabbit, Boar, Dragon, Snake, and Ox,' Dotsuku thought to himself as he closed his eyes, to visualize the situation so far. Rabbit's necromancy has Boar and Snake under his complete control, so thinking of a plan for Rabbit was Priority #1 right now.

The Warrior of the Dog then thought quietly to himself,

'So basically, Rabbit can use Boar's Non-Reload (Make it Rain) to make more kills and can use Snake's ability... Wait, what's that ability called again? Something Guard? No, that's not it... Anyway, Snake can sense vibrations on the surface of things and That's going to be a big problem when dealing with Rabbit... Damnit! Best way to deal with those zombies is to kill the one pulling their strings, the problem is, if Rabbit kills himself, he can turn himself into a zombie with his ability intact and I have a hunch that he'll still have his mind intact too... But there's no guarantee that his necromancy IS that powerful, but it be best not to test that theory out, I might get myself killed for that... Killed... Come to think of it... Why did Rabbit kill Snake before the Juuni Taisen? Rabbit isn't as crazy as he lets everyone think, and I don't think it wasn't just so he could have the advantage at the start... Was he already aware of Snake's ability? I mean that could be why he only cut off Snake's head... But Dragon's ability to fly would be much more useful to him at the beginning... Unless... Wait a minute! Snake has a flamethrower! That had to have been the real reason why Rabbit killed Snake first! Fire destroys the nerves in a body! Nerves Control an entire body! And if nerves are gone there's no way to control the body! Rabbit wanted that one thing that could take him down on his side!'

Dotsuku now had a plan to fight Rabbit.

Next, a Strategy for Monkey... Well, not so much a strategy as "Negotiating".

'I just have to make that peace-loving monkey think that I want to join her little pacifist group. I am very aware that she is so much stronger than she lets on, so I know I need to be careful around her, but I know she's not going to kill me. Being a pacifist and all... It might be a good idea to team-up with her to fight against that necromancing Rabbit; However, she's not going to land a killing blow to him no matter what and I know she's not going to let me kill him... I can try to convince her that the worse I'll do is use sedatives to knock him out until the end of the Juuni Taisen. Yeah, that'll work with her.'

Next is a strategy for Dragon...

'Knowing him, he's in the air right now. I doubt he'll come down before the final three... I could ambush him when he gets down, but I'm worried about that ice-thrower he's got on his back... But a little quick-footed taunting would fix that, then he's easy prey.'

Dotsuku took a soft, deep, breath when he thought, 'I don't know anything about Horse and Tiger, but all I know about Sheep is that he won the 9th Juuni Taisen... Cht, might be a good idea to keep a distance from them until I know what they're capable of... I know I don't need a strategy for Chicken, so that's one thing I don't need to worry about anymore.'

All that's left is Ushii... But...

'Can I really fight him?' Dotsuku asked himself, opening his eyes a bit. The Warrior of the Dog could feel his chest getting a bit heavier.

*Flashback*

After laying his ill child on a bed, Dotsuku left the room. Once the door to the room was close, he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"The medicine will help, but it will take some time and plenty of rest," Ushii told Dotsuku, who snapped with a growl, "I already know that! And besides, not like my kid will be running around anytime soon in that condition." Ushii didn't show much emotion when he said "I am aware of that, but now we must take care of your injuries." Dotsuku glared at the Ox when he stated "I'll dress my own wounds." Ushii closed his eyes and said with a small sigh "I told you, I have no quarrel with you and I have no interest in harming that child."

"Then you must forgive me if I don't take your word," Dotsuku growled out. That was when Ushii had an idea of what happened prior to him rescuing the sick child. "The Dark Clan... " Ushii said, making sure the Dog Warrior was listening before asking "Were they holding your child hostage so that you would work for them?" Dotsuku bared his fangs and snapped "What the hell do you think?! And it was because of those damn bastards that my kid got this si-"

Pain shot through Dotsuku's body! His left arm felt completely numb and his twisted ankle lost all its strength to keep his body standing!

Ushii caught Dotsuku before he hit the ground. "You are not in a very good condition to dress your wounds," the Ox stated bluntly, before picking the Dog up, held him bridal style, and added just as bluntly "I shall dress them." Dotsuku, of course, protested at this, and he kept protesting until he accidentally kicked his twisted ankle into a corner of a wall. "I am just going to dress your wound, nothing more, and as you discovered, you are merely hurting yourself acting the way you are," Ushii stated, steadying Dotsuku in his arms. For the first time, the Dog listened to the Ox.

When Ushii placed Dotsuku onto a comfortable couch and went to get the medical kit. After a minute, Ushii came back and started wrapping the wound on Dotsuku's left arm first. Once he was done with that, Ushii went to work on Dotsuku's ankle. First, he took off the other's sock to inspect the ankle. "It's pretty swollen and it's starting to bruise," Ushii stated, running his right thumb over the ankle. "What do you expect? I did just hit it," Dotsuku snapped. Ushii locked eyes with the other warrior. Dotsuku turned his head to the side and said "Sorry... I'm still a bit on edge..."

As Ushii wrapped the ankle, Dotsuku said "You were right..." Ushii looked up at Dotsuku again as the Dog Warrior continued "The Dark Clan was holding my kid hostage so I would finally be apart of their employment. It worked; however, two weeks later..." "Your child got really sick," Ushii stated, pausing for a bit. Dotsuku nodded and continued "I don't really know how it happened... And I wanted them to get a doctor, but... They wanted me to do a job first... I... I took the job, but I told them that a doctor better be ready to look at my kid by the time I got back..." "So, That's why you weren't with the Dark Clan when I was there," Ushii stated. Dotsuku then added "I think we might've just missed each other, the blood on the ground was still wet and both your's and my kid's scent was still strong." "You then tracked me down to save your child," Ushii finished, rubbing a thumb over the finished bandage.

Dotsuku nodded and added "I'm sorry I attacked you, but... I just thought that you... *Sigh* I just wanted my kid back..." "I understand," Ushii stated standing up and as he walked to the kitchen to get ice for Dotsuku's swollen ankle, he said "You are a good father." The Dog Warrior was taken back by that comment.

*End Flashback*

Dotsuku took a deep breath.

As much as he wanted to, it was hard to think up a plan for Ushii and not because the Ox Warrior was one of the strongest warriors in the Juuni Taisen. 'After all this time, I still...' Dotsuku clenched his shirt over his heart. After all these years, the Warrior of the Dog still held a torch for the Warrior of the Ox. Maybe... Maybe if Dotsuku could win the Juuni Taisen...

The sound of glass rolling on concrete struck Dotsuku's ears.

Dotsuku twitched one ear when he heard the sound again. Softly and quietly, Dotsuku crept towards the sound, keeping himself hidden in the shadows. He quietly parting a small part of the bush to see what was on the other side. Dotsuku saw the Warrior of the Tiger sprawled out on the park bench, drinking alcohol right from the bottle, and about a dozen empty bottles of alcohol laying on the ground around the bench. Dotsuku quickly and quietly checked his watch to check the time.

'The Juuni Taisen started roughly three hours ago,' Dotsuku thought before returning his gaze at the Tiger and wondered 'Has she been drinking this whole time?' He watched her take another swing of the bottle and thought 'She does remember that there's a time limit?... Is she using the Lay-&-Wait tactic, or does she not care about the other warriors? If it's later, then is it because she's that confident in her own abilities, or was she just interested in getting drunk?' Dotsuku had to wonder how someone as non-threatening as Tiger got selected for the Juuni Taisen, but remembering how Chicken looked and acted made him think that maybe that there might be more to the Tiger then what he was seeing right now.

"I hear you out there, old man," Tiger suddenly announced. Dotsuku raised a brow and thought 'Old man?'. Tiger then said as she waved an empty bottle in the air "Quit peepin' and show yourself already." Dotsuku's ears twitched to the faint sounds that seemed to be coming from behind where the Tiger was lounging. The Dog Warrior then realized 'Sheep is here too?!'

"What's wrong? Little old to be playin' hide-and-seek, ain't ya, old man?" Tiger said out loud. Dotsuku spotted the straw hat poke out from behind a shattered wall. Tiger then cracked a joke about stripes and laughed at it. Dotsuku wasn't sure if she was being funny or was just drunk. But it got Sheep out of hiding as he said that he'll play with her.

Tiger tried to stand up, but due to being drunk she ended up on her feet and hands. Sheep made a comment about that stance was preposterous, and Dotsuku had to agree. But, if the drunk and old man fight each other right now... 'Well, it gives me a chance to see what they can do, and if I see an opening, I'll take it,' Dotsuku thought with a smirk. "What was that, old man? You say somethin' about a tortoise? I don't remember hearin' about no Warrior of the Tortoise in the Juuni Taisen. But it figures since there's a Rabbit and all..." Tiger asked, obviously drunk. Sheep then stated, "I was complimenting your stance, which is truly unbelievable." Rubbing her cheek with the back of her right hand, while sitting in a squat position, Tiger said "Flattery won't get you nowhere, y'know."

The only thing Dotsuku could think was 'Goodness, even the kids at my Daycare have better grammar than her.' That was when Tiger said "I just ain't the kinda person who can hold back and kill gently," then she extended her claws. 'Nice nails,' Dotsuku thought, watching those claw gleam under the moonlight. Then the tiger started swaying side to side as she sat, it was too obvious that she was a bit drunk. When she stopped swaying, she said excitedly "Wow, you can do that ninja clone thingy? That's way cool, old man. How'd you make two more of yourself?"

'Oh Kami, someone watches too much Naruto,' Dotsuku thought, covering his mouth to prevent himself from laughing and giving away his position. It was obvious that the tiger was drunk.

"Old man, when did you make four more of you?" Tiger asked, completely drunk, before adding "Is this s'pose to be a counting sheep thing? You better not be tryin' to put me to sleep." Dotsuku could see the look on Sheep's face and could understand how he was feeling.

"Why don't we introduce ourselves after you've sobered up a bit?" Sheep asked the drunken Tiger. She then shouted "SHADDUP! I ain't drunk! Not drunk! Not drunk! Just a teeny bit drunk! See, I can drink a whole boatload of booze and still not get that drunk." Dotsuku sighed softly and thought 'When you tell people you're not drunk like that, you're obviously drunk.'

A few seconds later, the old man said "Hitsujii: Warrior of the Sheep, Killing Deceptively!" Dotsuku raised a brow 'Killing Deceptively? How's that work?' The drunken woman then replied "Tora: Warrior of the Tiger, Killin' in a Drunken Rage." That was when Dotsuku realized 'She's a Master of the Drunken Fist?!'

In less than a second, Tiger sliced through Sheep's gut with her nails. His Juseki Gem fell to the ground and a few seconds later, so did he.

'You really can't judge a book by its cover, huh,' Dotsuku thought as he listened to Tiger tell the corps that he looked more like a drunken master than she did, before falling onto her butt. The Warrior of the Dog decided that now wasn't the time to act, so he'll stay hidden until the Tiger moves on. Besides, Dotsuku was more interested in that device Sheep dropped than fighting the drunk.

Tiger mentioned something about getting more drunk on human blood than alcohol before sauntering off with the Juseki Gem, muttering something along the lines of the old man not having enough blood to even get her drunk. She didn't even realize that another warrior was nearby the whole time, but Dotsuku wasn't complaining.

When Dotsuku could no longer hear or smell the Tiger, he came out of his hiding spot to investigate the device near the Sheep's body. 'A homemade grenade?' The Dog Warrior carefully picked up the grenade. He had to admit, the craftsmanship on the grenade was amazing, but what was the old man planning on doing with this?

"Ne...ver thought I'd die... Like this..." Dotsuku heard the Sheep say weakly. The Dog glanced at the dying old man and said "Still alive? I'm surprised, considering that Tiger got you good." Sheep gave a weak chuckle and said "You think... with all the experience... I've got... I would've known better..." "You know what they say, "What you don't know can kill you". And if it makes you feel better, I kind of thought you would win in that fight," Dotsuku told the old man. He might as well keep the Sheep company until he dies of blood loss.

"You... got my... Shuukaiokuri?" Sheep asked the Dog, eyeing the grenade in his hand. "Old Timer? You mean this grenade?" Dotsuku asked holding the grenade in front of the old man so he could see it better. "Yes..." Sheep stated weakly before adding "I should've... just detonated it... as soon as the Juuni Taisen started... Would've killed... everyone... but that... Monkey interrupted..." "Wait! that Killing Aura was from you?!" Dotsuku asked the dying man in shock before adding "That aura was amazing! The bloodlust alone would've easily killed a lesser warrior!" Sheep chuckled weakly and said "I still... got it..." "Say, Hitsujii, was it?" Dotsuku said making sure the old man was listening before asking "This Shuukaiokuri, it's strong right? It'll instantly kill anyone in it's range? And how big is the range?" "I made it... to be... strong enough to... obliviate an entire... city..." Sheep said, starting to fade.

"Damn it!" Dotsuku cursed before saying "I wish we could've met under different circumstances. I would have liked to talk to you longer." "That's life... but... maybe you can... do me... a favor?..." Sheep asked, now having a hard time staying awake. "I'm going to use your Shuukaiokuri to win," Dotsuku said before adding "It's a perfect weapon to destroy that Rabbit." "Eh? Not Ox or Monkey?" Sheep asked, a bit surprised by that response. Dotsuku quickly told the old man that the Rabbit is a Necromancer and was using the bodies of Boar and Snake and that the Rabbit was planning on turning the other warriors into Zombies. "I guess dying now... ain't a bad thing now, eh?" Sheep said with a weak chuckle. "Perhaps not," Dotsuku said, knowing that Sheep wasn't going to last more than another minute or so.

"But... I wasn't going to... ask you to... use Shuukaiokuri..." Sheep said, catching Dotsuku's full attention. What else could the old man want him to do?

"Hitsujii... Warrior of... the Sheep... Killing... Deceptively..." Hitsujii said with the last of his strength. That was when the Dog realized, the Sheep wanted to at least officially die at the hands of someone who he believed was a warrior. With a heavy heart, Dotsuku said "Dotsuku: Warrior of the Dog, Killing by Biting..." He then placed a hand on Hitsujii's throat, nails extended. If the Sheep were to die while Dotsuku's claws on him, then it would mean that the Warrior of the Dog, on record, killed the Warrior of the Sheep.

Exactly six seconds passed, and the Warrior of the Sheep was dead.

This left a bittersweet taste in Dotsuku's mouth. He was one step closer to becoming one of the final warriors in the Juuni Taisen, but... Dotsuku meant it when he said that he wished he'd met Hitsujii under different circumstances... 'I think he would've made a great grandfather,' Dotsuku thought as he stood up. He could actually picture it.

* * *

*Elsewhere*

"Of the 12 Warriors, we are now down to six," Duodecuple announced to the VIPs, then added as he waved his arms "It is time to begin the betting! I believe the abilities these warriors possess are now fairly clear. These are the predicted rankings of the remaining six."

On the holographic screen behind Duodecuple, a ranking list appeared with the remaining six warriors, with their image and name.

Rank One, Ox. Rank 2, Rabbit. Rank 3, Tiger. Rank 4, Dog. Rank 5, Dragon. Rank 6, Rat.

Then one of the VIPs said "The top two our Ox and Rabbit, then…" Another VIP piped in by saying "I see Tiger received quite a boost for killing Sheep." Yet another VIP added "In contrast, the lowest -ranked warriors would be Dragon, who lost his brother and partner, and Rat, who has yet to accomplish anything." One more VIP then said "Don't forget that Dog is to be sitting in the middle of these ranks." "Yeah, but his own accomplishments so far was killing Chicken and giving the Sheep a final wish," said yet another VIP. Duodecuple couldn't help but note that the VIPs seem to have missed the fact that Dotsuku was now in possession of a very powerful explosive.

Now, after careful consideration, the VIPs made their bets. Roughly, 49% placed their bets on Rabbit, 50% placed their bets on Ox, and the remaining 1% placed their bets on Dragon as a favorable longshot.

Duodecuple then asked "Shall we look in on some of those warriors now?" One monitor focused on the Warrior of the Dog walking by some buildings.

* * *

With Dotsuku

Dotsuku's ears twitched at the sound of an annoying buzzing, and it didn't sound like a bug. He then looked around, ears moving to pinpoint the location of the irritating noise. When his eyes landed on a security camera, he stared at it for a bit as he focused his ears on it. Yup, the buzzing was coming from the security camera. Dotsuku glared at the camera before jumping up and ripping it to shreds with his claws, thus destroying the video feed that the VIPs were watching.

'You'd think the Juuni Taisen would use something to hack the local cameras without making annoying noises,' Dotsuku thought to himself before his ears picked up a new sound.

"Nezumi: Warrior of the Rat, Killing All." Dotsuku turned to the sound to see the grey-haired teen.

Dotsuku smirked, showing off his dagger teeth, and said "Dotsuku: Warrior of the Dog, Killing by Biting."

* * *

To be Continued


	3. Firepower

Dotsuku Wins the Juuni Taisen; Chapter 3, Firepower.

}{

Dotsuku rubbed a cloth over his newly acquired Juseki Gem, wiping off all unwanted fluids so he could have clear air to smell the other warriors, as he checked his surroundings. So far, he couldn't hear or smell anyone.

At the moment, that was a good thing. However…

Dotsuku had the weirdest feeling of being watched. He looked around, ears twitching to catch even the slightest noise, and his nose filtered through the smells in the air.

Nothing…

Was Dragon nearby in the air? No… Dotsuku would've also smelt the liquid nitrogen from the ice-thrower…

That was when Dotsuku smelt something strange… Something he smelt at the beginning of the Juuni Taisen.

"Is there a particular reason why you're here, Mister Referee?" Dotsuku suddenly asked the owner of the strange smell.

Duodecuple stepped out from behind a nearby building and stated as he walked over towards the Warrior of the Dog "I have a very good reason to be here." "I'm not being disqualified, am I?" Dotsuku asked as he folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at the ref. Duodecuple stopped walking and asked in an amused tone "Oh? Is there a reason you think you're being disqualified?" Casually pointing at the silver-haired man, while keeping his arms folded, Dotsuku stated "You're here."

With an amused look on his face, Duodecuple chuckled out "Ah, so I am, but I am here because I mealy inquire why you destroyed the security camera that the Juuni Taisen was using." Dotsuku raised a suspicious brow when he asked "You came for that? Why?"

Duodecuple tapped his hat and said "The Juuni Taisen must have a visual on all our fighters at all times, so when you destroyed the security camera, you destroyed the visual on you and the Warrior of the Rat. Come to think of it, what happened to him? You two were in the same vicinity." The referee then glanced around, looking for the gray-haired teen. However, to Dotsuku, it didn't really seem like the referee was actually looking for the Warrior of the Rat.

Being careful about who was in front of him, Dotsuku pulled out the two Juseki gems from his hidden pocket to show the other man, and stated "He's out of the Juuni Taisen, I have his gem." Duodecuple only said with a smile "So you have. That was a rather quick match." As Dotsuku shoved the gems back into his pocket, he told the ref "I decided it would best to get a kid like him out of the Juuni Taisen quickly and painlessly as possible, and as for the reason why I destroyed the camera, it was making an annoying sound that was very distracting. I'm surprised that the Juuni Taisen had something that was THAT noisy when looking in on us warriors." The Warrior of the Dog wanted more information as to the real reason why the ref was here.

Duodecuple tapped his top hat again and said "Oh my, I thought we worked all those bugs out when we finalized the program." Dotsuku rolled his eyes and grumbled an "Apparently not." "But that's a simple fix," Duodecuple stated with a smile, but that smile seemed strange in some way. Dotsuku didn't like it one bit.

Dotsuku really wanted to know if there was another reason why the ref was here when he asked "Is that all?"

Duodecuple folded his arms behind his back and said "While I do have some inquiries, I am afraid I cannot ask them now." "Why am I not surprised," Dotsuku mumbled as he rolled his eyes. The ref smiled and stated "I must be off now, and I do wish you the best of luck." Then the silver-haired man vanished into thin air.

Dotsuku snorted in annoyance as he thought 'Good he's gone… Inquiries… He couldn't mea-'

The smell of blood and gunpowder hit the Dog Warrior's nose. It was faint, but he could smell it clearly.

'Crap! Boar!' Dotsuku thought the moment he heard the faint sounds of high heeled shoes hitting the pavement.

Dotsuku bolted in the opposite direction of the sound and smell, mentally cursing. 'I completely forgot about that undead pig! I need to find something to use to burn her so that damn Rabbit can't use her. And quick!' the Dog Warrior thought as he kept running, glancing at the stores as he ran past them. He knew he couldn't waste the Shuukaiokuri on her. Dotsuku need to save that for Rabbit!

He skidded to a halt in front of one particular store. Dotsuku smirked at what he saw.

}{

Zombie Boar sluggishly walked down the street, swaying from side to side with each step. The boar's orders were clear. "Kill the other Warriors with as little damage as possible. That way, they'll be my friends forever!" Rabbit happily ordered her. If that is what the rabbit wanted her to do, she will do it. She would try to aim for the hearts of the other warriors in order to lessen the damage to their bodies. Which might actually prove difficult for the Boar, causing as little damage as possible was never really her strong suit when she was alive.

She noticed some drops of something red on the ground. This caused her to stop walking to look down at the drops. They looked like they were making a line. Zombie Boar moved her head to see where the trail lead. It leads to a store called 'Shades of Paint'.

Were the red dots blood?

They had to be, so Zombie Boar followed the trail into the store.

Cans of paint were carefully stacked on shelves and each other. Each can were stacked by brand and colour. The smell of Paint hung heavy in the air, but Zombie Boar paid no mind as she raised her semi-automatics in anticipation as she walked further into the paint store.

} Outside the store {

A match was struck, and the flame was then dropped onto a trail of wet oil paint. As expected the fire followed the paint that originated from the open door of the store.

The soft sounds of quick footsteps could be heard if you listened.

With a smirk on his face, Dotsuku said to no one in particular "One problem down."

The paint store suddenly blew up in flames, the nearby buildings sustained some damage from the blast. Fire licked the night with it's burning embers. It was now a beacon in the darkness.

Dotsuku watched the flames as he thought "I know Rabbit'll want to know what happened to Boar after this, considering that Necromancers can see what their zombies see. I'm also sure that all the other remaining warrior will probably come and investigate what caused this.' The Warrior of the Dog saw a few crackles spark and then thought 'It would probably be a good idea to get away from this bonfire as quickly as possible.'

Dotsuku smirked as he used his right thumb to rub his nose as he thought 'But if there's a theory, go the other way. That's how I roll.' He was staying where he was, but he was going to stay out of sight. He would wait until the other fighters thin their numbers a little more and use up all their strength before he strikes, and if Rabbit kills the other Warriors, he'll start the Shuukaiokuri timer and head to the underground. Dotsuku quickly looked around the immediate area and spotted a few manhole covers.

'Perfect, all my escape routes are in a reasonable distance and easy to get to if I have to use the Shuukaiokuri,' Dotsuku smirked as he started moving towards his hiding spot. The smirk disappeared as he started wondering about what he should do if he comes face-to-face with Ushii.

The Warrior of the Dog didn't really have a plan to fight the Warrior of the Ox.

}{ Flashback }{

"You really should not be moving around with your injuries," Ushii stated when he found Dotsuku hobbling around the kitchen of the safehouse. The Ox Warrior might not be much of a medic, but he at least knew that a twisted ankle needed to be kept off of for a few days in order to heal properly. Leaning against the countertop, Dotsuku stated "Yeah, I know, but considering you can't cook and the microwave food you got here isn't the best thing for someone with a cold. Besides, I need to do something other than laying around in your safehouse waiting to heal." The Dog Warrior then started prepping the food to cook.

Ushii watched for a few seconds before walking over to Dotsuku. The Dog Warrior then stated "You're not changing my mind on cooking. A nice home-cooked meal will be good for everyone here." Ushii stopped walking, standing on Dotsuku's left (which was the side of his injured shoulder). The Ox Warrior looked down at the wrapped ankle of the Dog Warrior.

What kind of caught Dotsuku off-guard was Ushii wrapping an arm around his waist. "I shall support your weight so you are not putting any pressure on your ankle while you cook," was all the Ox Warrior stated. The Dog Warrior couldn't stop himself from blushing at the action of the warrior.

"Uh… Thanks… I guess…" was all Dotsuku managed to get out. Ushii noticed the redness on the Dog Warrior's face. The Ox Warrior placed his other hand on the other's forehead and asked "You look red, have you caught your child's cold?" Dotsuku removed the hand on his forehead and stated (while still flushing red) "I'm Fine! I'm just… A little shock that you're so close to me."

Ushii stared at Dotsuku with a raised brow, still kept his arm around the other's waist, and asked "Are you shocked because I am concerned about your well-being or are you shocked because the Natural Born Slayer is not acting as a Genius of Slaughter?"

Dotsuku's eyes wandered around the kitchen, looking everywhere but the taller warrior, before finally saying "Neither, actually…"

This answer actually surprised Ushii. The Ox Warrior knew of his own reputation on the battlefield and knew that other warriors tend to avoid him out of fear, so this answer… Was not what he was expecting, to say the least.

Turning even redder, Dotsuku managed to get out "I, uh, never really… Had, umm, any other adults this, uh, physically close to me before…" Ushii took the time to carefully think about what was just said. Raising his brow again and looking at the other, the Ox Warrior asked "But you have a child?" "Adopted," the Dog Warrior replied quickly, before adding softly "And… I'm a single parent…"

Ahh, that explains it.

"I… Apologize for making you uncomfortable," was all Ushii said, or rather, that was all Ushii could think to say at the moment. Dotsuku was still red when he said "Don't worry about it too much… Umm, thanks for your concerns, for both me and my kid…" The Dog's eyes finally landed on the Ox, seeing him give a soft smile when he said "The both of you are most welcome."

Dotsuku couldn't help but blush redder.

}{ End Flashback }{

Dotsuku got himself into position in his hiding spot with a soft sigh. The Warrior of the Dog had to remind himself that all that happened years ago and as much as he wanted Ushii to be the Ushii he met all that time ago, he knew it wasn't likely. 'Besides, he's probably forgotten that encounter,' Dotsuku thought as he remembered that the Warrior of the Ox didn't seem to indicate that he remembered the Dog Warrior when they gathered at the tower at the start of the Juuni Taisen.

Dotsuku shook his head and told himself that he needed to focus on winning the Juuni Taisen. He couldn't think about the throbbing feelings he had for Ushii, especially now.

'But at least I'll be able to watch him fight one last time,' Dotsuku thought as he closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them.

}{ To be Continued }{


End file.
